Daddy's Girl
by Rikku9314
Summary: Family secrets...death of loved ones...The relationship between a father and daughter...NejiTen children multi-chapter
1. Family Ties

Multi-chapter I've been working on for awhile. It takes place about 21 1/2 years after the beginning of Shippuden. Neji and Tenten are married with two children, Hotaru and Hibari. This story is centered around Hotaru. Enjoy!

**Note**: Hotaru and Hibari ARE NOT my original characters. they belong to Reggie, or **ode2sokka** from DeviantArt. I in no way claim to have created these characters . Go check out her other OC NejiTen children here! .com/gallery/25586336

* * *

"Hotaru! Come in here for a moment please!"

The fifteen year old girl sighed in annoyance, closing her eyes as she sat under the willow tree. Beams of sunlight broke through the branches that shivered slightly in the spring breeze that blew through the village. Would she ever get a moment of peace? It seemed that even her father's clan's garden wouldn't shield her from the chores of her mother. She stood up, brushing her navy pants clean of the dirt and grass blades lest she be scolded for tracking mud into the house. It amazed Hotaru how fanatical her mother was about clean homes considering she had witnessed the mess that blood and carnage created that every shinobi encountered. When her mother had changed from the fierce ninja she knew had existed to the overprotective woman she knew now Hotaru did not know, and she guessed she never would see the kunoichi side of her.

She walked as slowly as possible to the sliding door, patterns of bamboo and leaves in bright green decorating the thin beige film that was attached to dark wooden frames. She slid it back…and immediately stepped aside to avoid the tackling blur of red that flew past her and onto the front lawn. The figure recovered quickly and rubbed its head, wincing, brown colored clothes wrinkled and slightly grass stained from years of use.

"Ow! Hotaru, I can't get any better if you don't let me GET you once in awhile!"

"What kind of ninja would I be if I just LET someone attack me, Hibari?"

"A good one," she said hopefully. She waited. Silence. "Well you'd at least be a good sister…" she grumbled and walked away into the garden her older sister had just occupied.

Hotaru smiled inwardly. She loved her sister dearly and always had a soft spot for her in their small family. Whether it was because she was the youngest and she felt the need to protect her or because she was as much endearing as she was clumsy she did not know, but she did know that even with her blindness, her sister had the most potential at the academy at becoming a great ninja. She possessed the determination and skill that would make her deadly in combat, even with her ailment. Hotaru always loved sparring with her because she never knew what new attack her eleven year old sister would pull out.

Hotaru watched Hibari go before entering the house and removing her sandals by the step. She made her way to the kitchen where her mother stood washing the dishes and looking out the window. She looked wistful, loose oak colored hair falling down her back, bangs spilling down into her auburn eyes. Her white apron was stained with various shades of brown, orange and red from sauces and batters spilled over the years. Hotaru wondered what it was that made her mother look so reminiscent. She'd seen the look so many times in the past few months when her mother thought no one was looking. It worried her and aroused her curiosity, but she never acted upon it, preferring to leave the woman to her husband.

"What did you need, Mother?"

"Ah, there you are Hotaru," she smiled at her daughter. But it was an empty smile. Her eyes were tired, no sparkle lit them up and deep bags gave her the appearance of a disheveled old woman. A thirty-nine year old woman was not meant to look this way. "I would like you to finish cooking supper if you wouldn't mind? The rice is about to boil and I think your father will be home soon." Hotaru nodded and moved to the oven. The ingredients of the usual plain meal of rice and salmon sashimi were already laid out before her. The fish boned and pink was ready to be sliced; the pot of rice was about to boil over. She quickly finished preparing the meal, casting glances over her shoulder as she cut the salmon at her mother who was continuing to scrub the same plate she had been washing when Hotaru had first walked in. These daydreams had been happening more and more frequently and Hotaru worried about the reasons behind it. She decided to try and cheer her mother up. The meal now prepared, she set the table and with the sliced salmon created the shape of a rose, spreading the white and steaming rice around it. Proud of the contrast of colors Hotaru continued with the other plates and stepped back to examine her handy work. She nodded in satisfaction and looked back over at her mother. She was still washing the plate.

"Mother, why don't you let me finish washing the dishes while you go and get some rest?"

"Hm? Oh…yes, thank you Hotaru." The older woman looked at her daughter, patted her shoulder and walked over to the living room and lay down on the couch. Just then the sliding door opened and Hotaru's father walked in. She glanced away quickly and scrubbed furiously at the cup she now held in her hands. She heard his footsteps behind her as he walked to the living room to greet his wife and Hotaru let out a sigh of relief. While she respected her father, and while she had held her ground with him before, she was eager to avoid conflict with him as it seemed they argued whenever he stepped in the door. Her mind wandered as she finished washing, drying and stacking the dishes. She was headstrong and she knew he loved her but she had never been a Daddy's girl like Hibari was. She had never appreciated the condescending air he seemed to hold nor understood why he had given up his life as a ninja in order to be on the council of the very clan that had imprisoned his spirit since childhood. The girl herself had nothing but loathing for her aunts Hinata, the less gifted heir of the clan, and Hanabi, the genius of the main branch, and the elders that had placed the curse mark upon her father.

"Hotaru."

The deep baritone voice froze her. She put the last plate in the cupboard and turned. Her father loomed over her, clad in the traditional white robes the council members wore. His silver-violet eyes peered down at her.

"Thank you for preparing the meal. I'm sure your mother will appreciate your creativity. It's time to eat now." He smiled and Hotaru could do nothing but nod and move past him to take her spot at the table. Her mother's head bobbed up and down as though she might fall asleep at any moment. The short rest had done her no good. The daughters' father took his place at the head of the table and blessed the meal before he broke his chopsticks, giving the women of the household permission to begin. They ate in silence, wooden chopsticks clinking against the porcelain plates, no one daring to utter a word. Night had come and the lights of the garden came on giving Hotaru a wonderful view out the window that was behind her sister. The meal passed in silence and Hotaru's mother's plate was left untouched.

Hotaru and Hibari retired themselves to their rooms immediately after dinner. As Hotaru left the table, she glanced over her shoulder to see her mother staring blankly at her plate, her father beginning to clear the dishes around her.

Her mind flashbacked to a time when her parents smiled. A time when the dinner table was full of laughter; when Hibari sat in her father's lap, looking up at him endearingly as he jokingly scolded Hotaru for being such a promising student at the academy, and how, if she wasn't careful, she would soon find herself surrounded by suitors; when Her mother's eyes lit up as she told the story of how their father had saved her life during a mission to the Land of Wind. To a time when anyone glancing in the windows of their humble home would see a family; happy, loving and complete.

Returning from her thoughts, Hotaru climbed the stairs in silence.


	2. Phantoms

It was nearly two in the morning when the soft sound of sobbing woke Hotaru from her sleep.

Moonlight shone through the sheer curtains of her room, bathing her bed in soft pale rays. Curious, and

slightly annoyed, she rolled over in her bed staring at the bright red glow of the digital clock by her

bedside before removing the covers, exposing herself to the coolness of the evening, and stepping out

onto the hardwood floor, bare feet protesting in silence from the chill.

She opened the door to her bedroom, entering the hallway in naught but her nightgown and looked to her right to see Hibari emerging from her room as well. Hotaru whispered for her to follow and to be quiet and the two sisters crept their way towards the source of the crying: their parents' bedroom door.

"Is that Mum?" Hibari asked.

"I thought I told you to be quiet," Hotaru snapped softly at her sister, pressing her ear against the door…until she heard the footsteps.

Both girls gasped as their father opened the door and stepped out into the corridor, forcing them to back against the wall. He stared at them tiredly, bags under his soft violet eyes.

"What do you two think you're doing?" The sisters looked down, both of them feigning guilt under the scrutiny of their scrupulous father.

"Why…why was Mum crying?" asked Hibari, faking grogginess. He turned to look at her and sighed under his breath.

"I'll tell you in the morning, but right now I need you both to go back to your rooms and go to sleep. Don't worry; I'll take care of your mother. She'll be fine. Now get going, both of you." He turned and went back into the bedroom and to his weeping wife, closing the door softly behind him.

Hibari shrugged and obeyed her father right away, bidding her sister goodnight and retreating back to the warmth and comfort of an eagerly awaiting bed. But Hotaru stood outside the door for what seemed like hours before finally returning to her own room. For most of the night she laid awake, eyes staring at the ceiling above her until finally exhaustion and worry caused her to drift into a restless sleep.

The next morning, Hotaru awoke and dressed swiftly, hearing the clatter of her mother making breakfast in the kitchen. She smiled inwardly. If her mother was making breakfast, things must be back to normal. Neatly making her bed and tying on her headband, she stepped outside her room to find that her parents' bedroom door was still closed.

_ Odd…_thought Hotaru as she walked downstairs, each step creaking under her weight. Normally at that time her father had long gone to complete his duties as an elder and her mother was busy with the housework; the door was always open whenever no one was in it. Arriving at the bottom and stepping into the kitchen she saw that it was not her mother preparing breakfast, but her father busy cleaning a sink-full of pans and spatulas. He turned and smiled at her, tired eyes crinkling at the sides.

"Good morning, Hotaru. Your breakfast is on the table. Please go join your sister and I'll be with you in a moment." He turned back to the sink and she heard the water rush down the pipes as he unplugged the drain before she moved to the dining room and sat across from Hibari who was busy scooping up spoonfuls of miso soup into her mouth. Picking up her own spoon, Hotaru was blowing the steam off the liquid when her father entered the room and took his place at the front of the table. Hotaru lowered her arm and placed her spoon back in the bowl. Both girls stopped moving and waited for their father to speak of the events that had happened last night. Taking a deep breath, he began.

"I want you both to know that what I'm about to tell you is something your mother and I never intended to hide from you forever. I know that both of you are not ignorant and have noticed how your mother has been acting…sad lately, and I feel that you are both old enough now to know why that is. You _deserve_ to know." He glanced from one daughter to the next, both of them nodding to show they understood. He sighed and closed his eyes.

"Hotaru, Hibari…you used to have two brothers." Hotaru's eyes widened slightly as she stared at her father. At the other side of the table, Hibari dropped her spoon with a _clank_ into her bowl, droplets of soup spraying onto the table.

"Are you serious? But…but what happ-" Hibari began, but stopped when her father raised his hand.

"Let me explain. Before either of you were born, your mother and I had twins, two boys named after your great uncle and grandfather, Hiashi and Hizashi. But…one night…well they passed away….They were only babies. I won't go into details but I can tell you that they were taken much too soon….It's been fifteen and a half years, but your mother, and I as well, have never really forgotten that loss." He folded his hands on the table top, his eyes staring downwards. Hotaru couldn't be sure but she thought she saw tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He continued, "I want you both to know that we love you very much, and that, while Mother is grieving, we have for the most part moved on with our lives. Both of you have given us much joy and we need you to know that we can't imagine our lives without you." He looked up and smiled at Hotaru weakly, but sincerely. "But your mother has been reminded of their deaths and this time her memory is her enemy. It…it has been like a disease with her. I cannot describe it to you, but what happened all those years ago has been eating at her mind each day since they died, and it seems it has finally burrowed into her heart. I don't know how, but I promise you I will do everything I can to help her." Finished, he sat up, shifted in his seat, and looked at his daughters.

The two girls were sitting in shock, Hibari's mouth hanging open and sightless eyes staring at her soup. Hotaru face betrayed no sentiment even though inside it felt as though as hurricane of emotions sought to wreak havoc on her mind. Her stomach was twisting up in knots as she tried to comprehend the significance of what her father had told her. She had had a brother…_two_ brothers…the thought was alien and incomprehensible to her and so she simply stared off into space past her sister. A small movement in the corner of her eye brought her attention back to Hibari.

"Well who's to say we can't help her then, right Hotaru?" Hibari smiled at her sister, obviously having recovered, her milky eyes looking in Hotaru's direction. "Don't worry Dad, we'll cheer her up. Let's go, Hotaru!" Hibari got up and, using her chakra to locate her sister, walked around to the other side of the table, grabbed her sister's hand and began dragging her out to the front door. As the sisters left the house, Hotaru glanced behind her to catch a glimpse of her father. She frowned as Hibari closed the door behind them and the two of them began the walk into the village.

Back in the house, her father sat at the table, head in his hands, shoulders shaking.

* * *

**Note:** The twins in this story are also the creations of **ode2sokka**, even though their names are the same as those of the actual twins in the series.


	3. Pansies & Geraniums

"Do you think she'll like these?" Hibari said, attempting to smell a stock of azaleas. "What color are they?" she asked her older sister, who was standing, arms crossed next to her. They were in the Yamanaka Flower Shop, surrounded by flowers of white and every shade of purple, pink, blue, red, yellow, and green imaginable. To their amazement there was even a stand dedicated to black roses.

As they had entered the bustling street of the market in Konoha after leaving their home, Hibari had suggested buying a bouquet of flowers for their mother, in the hopes of cheering her up. Hotaru had agreed and the two sisters had walked swiftly through the crowd, weaving in between and around the villagers before entering the store, welcomed by a wave of fragrances and the tingling of a little silver bell above the door.

Hotaru leaned forward and picked up a stem of the purple flowers her sister was now holding in her hands and inhaled deeply. She smirked.

"Hibari, you do realize these don't have a scent, right? If you're looking for something sweet, I wouldn't recommend these. How about lavenders? She might like those because they're the same as Father's eyes, and they have a very sweet smell." She walked over to the stand next to them and picked several of the pastel flowers to form a small bouquet and the two sisters walked over the counter. Ino smiled at the two girls as Hotaru gave her the flowers to be wrapped.

"Morning, girls. And just who might these be for?" she asked them politely as she cut the bottom of the green stems and placed them in decorative paper.

"They're for our mother. She hasn't been feeling well and we decided to buy her some flowers," Hibari answered the blond haired woman, shifting impatiently from foot to foot as she waited to leave, eager to give their mother their gift.

"I see, well may I make a recommendation then?" She asked them, looking slightly amused. The girls nodded. "Lavenders can represent distrust, so they might not be the best flowers to give your mother for a "feel better" bouquet…I have just the thing, be right back." Ino left the counter and walked around the shop collecting various colors of different flowers as Hotaru waited patiently by the counter and Hibari continued to fidget. When she returned she had a colorful bouquet in her hands. Pure white bunches of geraniums sat deep amongst pansies. The pansies were white, accented with vibrant royal blue splashes spreading out from the center. The bouquet was finished with bright green, long strands of grass, making the blue of the pansies look even more brilliant. The pansies gave off a vivid perfume, overpowering that of the geraniums.

"The pansies mean "loving thoughts" and the geraniums represent comfort. And if I know your mother, she'll love the scent. How about it?" Ino handed the bunch of flowers to Hibari who brought them up her nose and smiled.

"It's perfect," she said. Ino smiled and thanked the girls as they paid and left the building. Immediately the rich medley of aromas became lost in the scent of the dirt street and various cooked goods merchants were selling to the shoppers. A cacophony of sounds filled their ears, from storekeepers attempting to sell their wares, to children laughing, and to adults scolding; the sun was high in the air. They had spent a good hour in the shop, and afternoon was fast approaching as the two girls began their walk back to the compound. They walked in silence for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts. As they rounded a bend, leaving the busy street behind them, Hibari turned to her sister.

"Hotaru, you do think Mom will like these, right?" she inquired, gesturing to the bouquet she held up to her sister. Hotaru managed an affirmative "hn" without looking at her. "…And do you think Dad will like them?"

"Well it doesn't much matter if he likes them. They're not for him," Hotaru answered curtly, pursing her lips together.

She had become angry with their father; angry that he had kept the truth from them all these years. While she understood why he had done it, she did not appreciate his lack of confidence in them. Hotaru was not one that enjoyed being left in the dark and this matter had only served to deepen her dislike for him. For years he had been trying to shelter her from the world, always having to find things out for herself. This was just one more thing she could add to the list, even if he had finally told them the truth. They had deserved to know; deserved to know long ago, the moment they had been old enough to understand the significance of what it meant. Without meaning to, Hotaru had sped up as she thought these things, leaving her sister to follow the cloud of dust she was producing with each step she took.

"Hotaru wait up!" Hibari cried, jogging up next to her. Hotaru sighed and slowed her pace.

"Sorry, Hibari," she said, frowning and looking straight ahead. Hibari scoffed.

"Sure you are. Why do you always have to get like that when I bring up Dad?" she asked, cradling the flowers in her arms. "It's as though you hate the man…."

Hotaru cringed. Hibari was closer than she thought. "It's not really any of your business, Hibari," she said tersely and inhaled sharply, trying to catch her breath as her fists clenched at her sides. It wasn't really that she hated her father. To her, he was far too controlling. She had come to believe that her father had only told them about their brothers because he had felt the need to, or perhaps because their mother had told him to. She had made up her mind that he had never truly intended to tell them. What was more, she found his prying meddlesome. It seemed to her that he always found a way to intervene into her affairs and to try to solve her problems for her, when she found herself perfectly capable of handling them herself. In short, she could not understand the man.

Hibari sighed next to her. "You don't give him enough credit, you know. Isn't it obvious why he's been doing all that?"

"…Doing what?" Hotaru answered her, confused. Could Hibari read her thoughts?

"Don't insult me, Hotaru. I may be blind but that doesn't mean I don't notice the way you and Dad act around each other. I know you find his over protectiveness annoying. So do I. In fact he's more protective of me because of my blindness, but you don't see me and him arguing the same way you guys do. Still, think about it. Mum and Dad lost their first children. BOTH of them, when they were only babies. Doesn't it make sense that they'd be a bit overprotective of the children that came later? If it were me, I'm sure I'd be extra careful after something like that happened to me, too." She stopped in the middle of the path and looked blindly down at the flowers. "Shoot, I forgot…." she said under her breath. Hotaru stopped walking and turned to look back at her sister.

"Forgot what?" she inquired. Her sister looked at her, eyes growing frantic.

"I was supposed to meet my friends for training at ten! It's probably eleven by now...can you take the flowers? I need to get going!" She ran up to her sister and thrust the bouquet into her hands once she found them with her probing fingers before running off down the path, back the way they had come. Hotaru shook her head as her sister rounded a corner and was lost from sight. Hotaru had long since stopped worrying about whether or not Hibari knew where she was going; Hibari had memorized the length and direction of each path in the village long ago and was not one that got lost easily.

"That girl…," she thought aloud to herself before continuing back the compound. As she walked, she thought about what her sister had said, shuffling her feet along the tee lined trail. If her parents truly had experienced that kind of loss, then there was plenty of reason to believe that they would seek to keep their other children safe and close to home. It made sense to her, but at the same time she refused to believe her sister and forgive her father right away. Lost in her thoughts, she arrived at her home, and sliding open the screen door, stepped inside and removed her sandals. The house was unusually quiet as she walked into the kitchen, meaning to retrieve a vase for the flowers. Setting the flowers down on the spotless counter, she noticed a note addressed to her from her father attached to the fridge. She removed the paper and read the neat calligraphy.

"Hotaru,

I have gone out to a council meeting. I will be running some errands afterwards, so I will be home late. Please take care of dinner for Hibari and your mother; she is still sleeping upstairs.

Love,

Father"

Hotaru sighed and crumpled the note in her hands before throwing it in the wastebasket on the other side of the room. Proceeding to open the cupboards, she found a crystal vase for the bouquet. _Another evening spent alone…_she thought. Filling the vase with water from the tap and placing the flowers in it, she walked slowly upstairs noticing once again the eeriness of the home. It was too quiet. While her home was not usually bustling with noise, the strangled silence was beginning to unnerve her. She made her way to her parents' bedroom, casting furtive glances left and right in the hallway as she stepped along the creaking floors. Arriving at their doorway, she slowly slid open the door and stepped softly inside.

The room was dark, the pale yellow curtains drawn to block the window, sunlight vainly attempting to pour through it. A layer of dust covered the dresser and windowsill, indicating her mother had not attempted to clean it in quite some time. Hotaru noticed her mother, lying on the bed, covers drawn up to her shoulders, her breathing slowly and steadily causing the blankets to rise and fall. Stepping over to the nightstand on her mother's side of the bed, she placed the vase between the alarm clock and a picture of her family. She looked over at her mother, her deep set, baggy eyes closed. Her auburn hair was strewn about her face, her mouth sat slightly agape. Turning back to the nightstand, she picked up the photo frame and looked at its contents fondly. The photo had been taken nearly ten years ago. Hotaru, a girl of only 5 at the time, was sitting on her father's shoulders, waving and grinning at the camera. He was looking up at her and smiling, while her mother stood to his right, grinning widely, her hair loosely framing her face, and holding a baby Hibari. She smiled softly as their past selves looked happily up at her. But her smile soon faded as she heard a creak on the floorboards behind her.

"So you're their eldest…" Hotaru whirled around, dropping the picture to the floor, the glass breaking at her feet. Her Byakugan was already activated when she faced the direction the unfamiliar male voice had come from but no one was there. Hotaru glanced around with her eyes, seeing no one, worry beginning to rise in her throat. She glanced over at her still sleeping mother when she heard the voice again.

"Guess we'll be going then." Before she could do anything, Hotaru was hit hard at the base of her neck. Stars danced in her eyes before everything went black and she crumpled to the floor with a soft _thump_.

* * *

**Note:** The twins in this story are also the creations of **ode2sokka**, even though their names are the same as those of the actual twins in the series.


End file.
